October 7
1900s-1930s *1904 - Jack Chesbro got his 41st victory of the season as the New York Highlanders defeated the Boston Red Sox, 3–2. *1919 - Dickie Kerr of the Chicago White Sox overcomes errors by Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch to win the Game Six of the World Series, 5–4, over the Cincinnati Reds. Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson combine for seven hits, and Chick Gandil, another one of the eight “Black Sox,” singles in the winning run in the 10th inning. Kerr wins his second game as the Sox now trail the best-of-nine Series by a 4-2 margin. *1925 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators opens the World Series in Pittsburgh. A fifth-inning home run by Pie Traynor is the only damaging blow as Johnson strikes out 10 batters for a 4–1 Washington victory. *1927 - Pitcher Herb Pennock is handed an 8–0 lead and takes a perfect game into the eighth inning. The New York Yankees left handed retires Glenn Wright, but Pie Traynor breaks the spell with a single and Clyde Barnhart doubles him home. Pennock settles for a three-hit 8–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates to give the Yankees a commanding 3-0 edge in the World Series. *1928 - In the World Series, Lou Gehrig hit two home runs to led the New York Yankees to a 7–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, giving them a 3-0 lead. *1933 - Flags are at half staff for Game Five to honor William L. Veeck, Chicago Cubs president, who died suddenly. On the field, the World Series comes to a close when Mel Ott hits a home run in the 10th inning for a 4–3 New York Giants victory over the Washington Senators. *1935 - Goose Goslin of the Detroit Tigers drives in Mickey Cochrane to win the World Series. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Goslin’s hit gives the Detroit Tigers a 4–3 win over the Chicago Cubs. *1936 - The Brooklyn Dodgers fire future Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel. Thirteen years later, Stengel will be hired by the New York Yankees and will lead the team to five straight World Championships. Stengel will eventually conclude his career with the cross-town New York Mets 1940s-1960s *1945 - Hank Greenberg hit three doubles to led the Detroit Tigers to an 8–4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the World Series. *1950 - At Yankee Stadium, rookie pitcher Whitey Ford, with a ninth inning help from Allie Reynolds, beat Bob Miller and the Philadelphia Phillies, 5–2, as the Yankees complete the World Series sweep of the Phillies' "Whiz Kids." Jerry Coleman wins the Babe Ruth Award as the Series MVP. The sweep of the Phillies gives the Yankees their 13th World Championship. *1952 - In Game Seven of the World Series, second baseman Billy Martin makes a dramatic running catch on a high infield pop with the bases loaded as the New York Yankees win their fourth consecutive World Championship by downing the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4–2. *1958 - In Game Six of the World Series, the New York Yankees pull even against the Milwaukee Braves as Hank Bauer hits his fourth home run of the Series and New York wins in 10 innings, 4–3. *1961 - At Crosley Field, New York Yankees Roger Maris won Game Three of the World Series with a ninth-inning home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bob Purkey. The Yankees won, 3–2. *1968 - In Game Five of the World Series at Tiger Stadium, Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich win 5–3 over the St. Louis Cardinals, when Lou Brock tries to score standing up on Julián Javier's single and is gunned down by Willie Horton's throw. Al Kaline's bases-loaded single drives in the deciding runs. *1969 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade outfielder Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies in a blockbuster deal involving slugging first baseman Richie Allen. Flood will refuse to report to the Phillies and will take baseball to court over the reserve clause that binds a player perpetually to one team. 1970s-1990s *1975 - The Boston Red Sox gain a 5–3 win and three-game sweep over the Oakland Athletics to catch the American League pennant. Carl Yastrzemski makes two great plays in the outfield and has two hits to back pitcher Rick Wise. *1977 - Down 5-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Three of the NLCS with two outs in the ninth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers catch lightning in a bottle. Pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo beats out a two-strike drag bunt and Manny Mota follows with a pinch-hit long double. Los Angeles eventually pulls out a 6–5 victory. *1978 - In Game Four of the National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers win the pennant as Bill Russell's 10th-inning single scores Ron Cey. Dusty Baker collects four hits as Los Angeles beats the Philadelphia Phillies, 4–3. *1984 - The San Diego Padres won the National League pennant with a 6–3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the final game of the playoffs. The Padres won three straight after dropping the first two. *1987 - Don Baylor singled to break an eighth-inning tie and Gary Gaetti homered in his first two playoff at-bats as the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 8–5, in the opening game of the American League Championship Series. *1988 - The New York Yankees replace manager Billy Martin with Dallas Green. Martin will compiled a 1253-1013 (.553) record piloting the Tigers, Twins, Yankees, Oakland A's and Rangers during his 19-year managerial career. *1995 - Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the eighth inning and drove in seven runs – the most ever in a postseason game to date – leading the Mariners past the New York Yankees, 11–8, and sending the ALCS to a decisive Game Five. *1998 - Chuck Knoblauch of the New York Yankees argued for an interference call at first base instead of picking up the ball while Enrique Wilson scored to break a 1–1 tie in the 12th inning of the Cleveland Indians' 4–1 victory at Yankee Stadium in Game Two of the ALCS. 2000s *2001: **On the last day of the season, Rickey Henderson of the San Diego Padres bloops a double down the right field line off Colorado Rockies' pitcher John Thomson to become the 25th major leaguer to collect 3,000 career base hits. Tony Gwynn, who is playing in his last major league game and is also a member of the 3,000 hit club, meets Henderson at home plate in front of a sell out crowd QualComm Park. **San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds extends his major league record for home runs in season to 73 as he drives a 3-2 first inning knuckleball off Dodgers pitcher Dennis Springer over the right field fence. The blast also secures two more major league records for Bonds as he surpasses Babe Ruth (1920 - .847) with a .863 season slugging percentage and bests Mark McGwire (1998 - one HR every 7.27 AB) by homering in every 6.52 at-bats. Births *1867 - Brickyard Kennedy, pitcher (d. 1915) *1904 - Chuck Klein, Hall of Fame outfielder (d. 1958) *1921 - Charlie Fox, player and manager (d. 2004) *1922 - Grady Hatton, All-Star infielder *1939 - John O'Donoghue, All-Star pitcher *1943 - José Cardenal, outfielder *1968 - Milt Cuyler, outfielder Deaths *1925 - Christy Mathewson, Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1880) *1991 - Leo Durocher, Hall of Fame manager (b. 1905)